Copyright © 1990 by Lisa C. Heyden
THE ADVENTURES OF ISABELLE PART I
FADE IN:
EXT. ALLEY - DAY
ZACK is a scrawny bum searching in garbage cans.
At this point he is quite ordinary, dirty and drunk.
INT. MARKET - DAY
ISABELLE is in the supermarket eying the oversized fruit
and picking what appears to be the healthiest.
EXT. ALLEY - DAY
Zack is moving closer to the market as his search
continues.
INT. MARKET - DAY
Isabelle is moving up the line to the cashier. Her items
are two apples, a box of sanitary napkins, some
toothpaste, and a can of soda.
The cashier scans the merchandise with incredible speed.
EXT. ALLEY - DAY
Zack continues to move closer to the market.
He spots a can he hasn’t overturned yet just outside the
market.
INT. MARKET - DAY
CASHIER
That’ll be $12.55 and $22.50 with tax.
EXT. OUTSIDE MARKET - DAY
Zack is searching through the last garbage can.
He pulls out a comb. He attempts to comb his hair like a
cool cat.
He stops, looks at the comb, puts it to his lips and
attempts to make noise.
INT. MARKET - DAY
Isabelle has finished paying her bill and exits the
market reading her receipt.
EXT. OUTSIDE MARKET
Isabelle, still reading her receipt, bumps smack into
Zack while exiting the market.
Zack is busy playing with his new toy and disregards her.
She looks after him a moment, then continues on her way.
She crosses the street at the corner, still trying to
make out the receipt.
INT. APARTMENT BUILDING - DAY
Belle ascends the stairs in her apartment building.
At the top of the landing is a crowd of people. They are
waiting outside Joe’s apartment, which is across the hall
from Belle’s.
Isabelle searches for her key.
BELLE
I think Joe’s closed for the day.
There are sounds of discontent from the crowd as they
begin to leave. Belle opens the door to her apartment,
enters and slams it.
INT. BELLE’S APARTMENT
Belle’s apartment consists of one large room, very little
furniture, a partition and a kitchen. There is an unmade
bed off in the corner. Various items are strewn about
the floor. Two large sloppily stretched canvases against
one wall.
She puts her package down in the kitchen and pulls a can
of soda out of the bag. She sips the soda and eyes her
canvases. The can has a small, but noticeable cartoon
character on it.
There is a knock at the door. She goes to it and opens
it. There is a tall thin man with long hair, a ratty t-
shirt, jeans and big sneakers, oversized and stuck in the
door frame. JOE.
BELLE
Oh, hi Joe. C’mon in, can I get you
anything? Coffee?
INT. BELLE’S - MORNING
Isabelle is asleep on the bed looking very comfortable.
Suddenly there is a great banging on the door.
She wakes with a start.
JOE yells from the outside.
JOE
Your trusty alarm clock is opening for
the day!
He continues to bang until she answers.
BELLE
Alright! Alright! I’m up!
EXT. CITY STREET - DAY
Isabelle is on her way to work. She is walking. Al
around her is an immense traffic jam, greatly
exaggerated, honking, cursing, pollution, and the like.
INT. DEPT STORE - DAY
A chain discount store. Merchandise is piled absurdly
high and every item, from diapers, condoms, maxi pads and
douches to t-shirts, sleeping bags and lingerie, bear the
image of the latest cartoon craze Harvey Headbanger.
A cashier calls to Isabelle as she passes. BERTHIE.
BERTHIE
Hey! Isabelle! Didja hear? We’re
getting new registers. They’re
supposed to be even faster than these.
Isabelle goes to Berthie’s register to talk. Berthie
continues to ring while she talks. She barely watches
what she’s doing.
BERTHIE
Isn’t technology wonderful? It’s
really amazing.
Before Isabelle can answer a man’s voice is heard behind
her.
MANAGER
C’mon Isabelle, you’re late.
BELLE
Gotta go, Berthie.
INT. DEPT STORE
Isabelle is a horrendously ugly yellow and shit brown
smock is stocking shelves in the HBA aisle. Douches with
large pictures of the new very phallic system on the
side, all bearing HH’s image. Tampons endorsed by a
female HH and the Olympic swim team. Isabelle is
stamping them with big dots that are for the registers
use.
INT. DEPT STORE
Suddenly there is a commotion up front, by the registers.
CUSTOMER
Hey! He’s trying to steal that yo-yo!
Grab him!
ANOTHER CUSTOMER
Hey! That’s a Harvey Headbanger yo-
yo!
A huge crowd develops around a ten year old kid and this
yo-yo.
There is screaming and general commotion. Meanwhile, in
the background can be seen a very tall man passing
through the spectators with a TV perched on his head.
He exits safely.
Isabelle appears up front by Berthie’s line.
BELLE
What’s going on?
BERTHIE
Some kid just tried to steal a yo-yo.
It’s terrible. Where do they get it
from?
BELLE
I don’t know.
EXT. CITY STREET - DUSK
Isabelle is walking home. The same huge line of honking
traffic seen before is still there. Zack can be seen
peripherally.
We follow the line of traffic.
The line continues over various state lines. We follow
it faster and faster until we reach it’s point of origin.
There are five lanes of traffic at an abrupt standstill.
There has been an accident between a huge eighteen
wheeler bearing the image of HH along its sides and a
minute milktruck bearing the barely legible name of Betsy
Lou Pig.
There is merchandise strewn about as the sides of the
truck have caved in. There is much screaming, yelling,
and fighting as people get out of their cars to join in.
Police officers are distributed throughout joining in the
general havoc.
INT. JOE’S APARTMENT
There is HH merchandise everywhere. Wall to wall piles
of
t-shirts, yo-yos and the like. People are browsing. The
room is quite crowded.
Joe is in the kitchen. He pops open a beer and wanders
through the crowd helping out, greeting and thanking
customers as they enter and leave.
He makes his way through the crowd to the door.
INT. HALLWAY
A fat lady and two kids leave with a
shopping bag. Customers line the
hallway. He wishes them well and bids
them return.
Belle can be seen ascending the stairs as a customer runs
down. The staircase is rather narrow and they have to
squeeze by one another.
She appears very weary.
JOE
Isabelle, Isabelle.
BELLE
Hi, Joe. How’s business?
JOE
Great, great. You look beat.
BELLE
Yeah.
Belle puts her key in the lock.
JOE
Hey! Want to come in and take a look
around?
BELLE
No thanks Joe.
She slams the door.
Joe returns to his customers.
INT. BELLE’S APARTMENT
Belle’s apartment appears greatly changed. It is neat and
furnished.
Isabelle is asleep on the couch.
Joe is in the kitchen cooking.
Isabelle’s sleep becomes unquiet.
Gradually, she appears to be having a terrible dream.
Joe comes to her side.
JOE
Isabelle?
She becomes more and more agitated.
Joe attempts to wake her.
JOE
Belle! Wake up!
He shakes her until she begins to wake.
JOE
Wake up. You’re having a bad dream.
Isabelle wakes. She is distressed. She looks around,
then at Joe. She holds her head and then sits up,
stunned.
BELLE
Joe! It was terrible!
She reaches for him like a child. He hugs her.
JOE
It’s okay. It was just a dream.
You’re okay now. I’m here. C’mon...
He holds her and rocks her back to sleep.
INT. ISABELLE’S APARTMENT - NIGHT
Isabelle is asleep in bed. A very restful sleep.
There is a sudden pounding on the door.
VOICE
Open up! Police!
They pound louder. Isabelle wakes with a start.
The police smash open the door. Three or four men with
machine guns and masks jump into the room.
A very stately FBI man in a suit enters.
All guns are pointed at her.
Everything is suddenly quiet.
The FBI man tips his hat.
FBI MAN
Uh.. excuse me, miss. I’m inspector
Hooligan. Um... would you know a Joe
Johansen?
He holds his hat at his chest.
Before Isabelle can answer there is noise of pounding and
another group enter the room with Joe in custody.
He is handcuffed.
They throw him against the wall like a hardened criminal.
Isabelle remains in bed, in shock, holding the covers up
over her chest.
FBI MAN
So sorry, miss.
EXT. THE SUNNYBROOK HOME - DAY
The place is pleasant, set back on the lawn. The sun is
out, the birds are singing. The grounds are well kept.
INT. THE SUNNYBROOK HOME
Isabelle is in a long corridor, similar to the corridor
one passes through at the airport. There are three
guards awaiting her, smiling, holding their arms out to
her like on a game show. She hold in her hands a cake.
There are four large scanning devices. The first guard
silently helps her up to the a conveyor belt upon which
he motions for her to put the cake.
She sets the cake down and walks along side it through a
device that scans her.
The guards watch the screen lustily as she passes
through. The cake passes through four scanning devices
with TV screens which show various different things as
the cake passes through. Things that don’t necessarily
have anything to do with anything. Like : an old western
movie, broken down constituents of cake, some eggs,
dangerous devices like knives and guns, hand grenades,
war movies etc.
The very last device, however, is different from the
rest. It is awesome in its size. It is full of beeping
gadgets and lights.
It comes to life, opens its limbs and out comes a pair of
robotic hands, rather small in caparison to their
housing.
The hands extend downward to the conveyor belt where they
proceed to flatten the cake apparently feeling for
forbidden objects.
When they are through, Isabelle, undaunted, grabs the
cake and proceeds.
INT. PRISON - DAY
A sunny plexiglas room where the inmates are lounging in
bathrobes. Zack can be seen in the background playing
his comb.
JOE
Belle! Belle, how are you?
Joe spots her from across the room and makes his way
through the inmates in his bathrobe.
JOE
Belle!
He goes to hug her, but stops and notices the cake in her
hands.
JOE
Aw! Is this for me?
He takes the cake and samples the frosting.
JOE
It’s great! Homemade?
BELLE
Betty Crocker.
JOE
Great! C’mon in, let me introduce you
to the guys. See that guy over there?
That’s Marty, busted for beating up
his girlfriend. Gary raped and
murdered some chick that was
hitchhiking ye know? He’s doing five
years. That’s Barney, Grand Theft
Auto, 25 years, but Jack there, life
for tax evasion. C’mon, there’s Gary,
let me introduce you.
Isabelle is paying little attention. In fact she seems
quite bored. She looks around the room as Joe introduces
Gary.
She spots Zack. He is quite changed into some kind of
anachronistic vision of a street musician. He’s playing
a harmonica.
Belle returns from her daze. She turns to Gary, who is a
fat greasy type brute. She turns to him uninterestedly
and out of politeness.
BELLE
Oh, hi Gary.
INT. PRISON ROOM - LATER
Belle and Joe are seated at a round table.
BELLE
So it wasn’t the drugs?
JOE
No...no...
BELLE
(spotting Zack again)
Who’s that?
JOE
Who?
BELLE
That guy.
ZACK is still playing his harmonica.
JOE
Oh. That’s Zack.
Joe isn’t too interested in Zack.
JOE
You know Belle, I was really lucky.
My lawyer thinks he can cut me a break
if I promise to pay back the 40
million in back taxes. I could’ve
wound up with life.
BELLE
What was he arrested for?
JOE
Huh? Oh...
Joe’s beginning to get a little annoyed because Isabelle
isn’t listening to him.
JOE
Disturbing the peace I think. So
Whaddya think? I’ll be home Christmas.
The busy season, ye know?
BELLE
The Peace?
Isabelle takes an indescreet interest in Zack that annoys
Joe. He’s jealous.
BELLE
Um...Uh.. Could you excuse me just a
minute?
Joe turns to follow her gaze, lips parted. He simply
does not
understand the attraction.
Belle walks toward Zack like a beaten weathered kid. The
distance between them lengthens.
Zack finishes playing his harmonica as she sits at his
table.
ZACK
Hey baby...
Zack begins to play again.
He finishes.
BELLE
That was great, Zack.
ZACK
Aw...thanks baby.
A fight erupts while Isabelle is talking to Zack, between
Joe and some of the other prisoners.
JOE
At least I offered to pay it back.
I’ll be out of here. You’ll never see
the outside of these walls again.
Keep it up. Well have you put in
maximum.
PRISONER
I hear they have a VCR in there.
ROBIN HOOD
There’s one in every room.
JOE
Get lost.
BELLE
You know Zack, maybe I can get you a
real harmonica.
ZACK
Well, that’d be nice. You know you
can’t hide it in a cake. Zack laughs a
smokey laugh.
ZACK
Can you get me an accordion? Now
that’s what I really want.
He takes a puff.
An angry staredown is going on in the center of the room
between a bunch of apparent ogres. The crowd is quickly
enveloped by evil laughter. A Harpo Marx character can
be seen lurking around in the background. He runs up to
Zack, pulls an accordion out from under his trenchcoat,
gives it to Zack, toots his hooter and disappears.
ZACK
Aww...thanks buddy.
He straps it on and starts to play.
INT. BELLE’S APARTMENT - DAY
Isabelle is in the kitchen baking a cake.
Her mother is seated on the rickety couch.
BELLE
I want to bring something for Zack,
too.
MOM
Zack? Who’s Zack?
BELLE
I told you about Zack. He’s in prison
with Joe. He’s cool. He plays
harmonica and accordion.
MOM
The What? I don’t know, between Joe
and this Zack fellow...
BELLE
What?
MOM
Well, I worry.
BELLE
That’s your job.
MOM
What’s this Zack in prison for?
BELLE
Disturbing the peace or loitering or
something.
There is a loud pounding on the door suddenly. Belle
goes to open the door.
Her mother meanwhile is eying the paintings strangely
from the rickety couch. Belle can be heard from the
other room.
BELLE
No Joe’s closed for a while, he’s been
arrested. He’ll beback soon. I’ll
let him know you were asking.
INSERT
LEADER OF THE PACK
Do you think he’ll be back by Christmas?
RETURN TO SCENE
We hear Isabelle from the other room.
BELLE
I understand...I’ll let him know.
She slams the door and returns.
BELLE
You know, it has been kind of
quiet around here since he’s
been gone.
Things are anything but quiet. There are sounds of
screams, machinery gunshots, traffic, howling, name it.
BELLE
(laughs slightly)
I haven’t gotten to work time in three
days.
MOM
You’re better off without him around.
BELLE
Mom, he isn’t that bad. Besides, I’m
not seeing him or anything. We’re
just friends. Even if I was, I could
do a lot worse.
MOM
Zack?
BELLE
(sighing loudly)
Mom, you don’t even know him.
MOM
I suppose.
There is a long pause.
Belle’s mom turns once again to the paintings. Both of
them stare for a moment.
MOM
They’re so...I don’t know. There’s
something unsettling about them...
Isabelle turns to look out the window while her mother is
talking. It’s a late afternoon. Quite a bit of smog in
the air, A woman below is being beaten and dragged away
by a masked man dressed in black. Just a few feet away
there is a parking meter about to expire.
Just as the meter expires a policeman suddenly appears in
full uniform with a helmet on. He is writing out a
ticket. The woman is dragged away. Isabelle turns
around to hear her mother finish.
MOM
They’re so violent. That’s what it
is. Isabelle, why are they so
violent? What do you suppose it is
that makes you paint such gloomy
images?
BELLE
I don’t know. It’s weird isn’t it?
INT. STORE - DAY
Isabelle and Berthie are stocking shelves with HH
merchandise.
BELLE
I met this guy at the prison.
BERTHIE
At the prison?
BELLE
Yeah...you know, when I went to see
Joe.
BERTHIE
Yeah? How is Joe?
BELLE
He’s fine. I think he’s enjoying
himself.
BERTHIE
That’s Joe.
BELLE
Yeah...but Zack...
BERTHIE
Is that the guy you met?
BELLE
He was arrested for vagrancy or
disturbing the peace or something.
BERTHIE
The Peace? Kinda Lame.
BELLE
I suppose...anyway, He’s the coolest
cat you’d ever see.
BERTHIE
Coolest Cat?
BELLE
Well...there isn’t quite any other way
to describe him. He’s cool. He plays
the harmonica.
BERTHIE
How quaint.
BELLE
I’m serious.
BERTHIE
Jeez, Isabelle...doesn’t he know
anything? No one plays a harmonica
anymore. Who needs to?
BELLE
Well, I don’t know...he’s awful good
at it.
BERTHIE
Well, does he like you?
BELLE
I couldn’t really say. He’s too cool
to let on I guess.
BERTHIE
What’re you gonna do?
BELLE
I’ll visit Joe again. I’ll see him
then.
BERTHIE
Oh I just love a good romance. Do you
think you’ll get laid?
INT. PRISON ROOM - DAY
Isabelle is standing in the doorway of the open room,
peering in. In her hands she holds another squashed
cake.
She enters. Joe is playing cards with the rapist and
murderers. Joe appears to be losing.
There are threatening laughs from the other prisoners,
but Joe doesn’t seem worried. It seems as if he is held
in somewhat high esteem among the prisoners.
JOE
Aw, shit.
He’s lost another hand.
Isabelle enters the room. Joe spots her.
JOE
Oh well, that’s it for me.
He gets up. There is a good deal of grunting from the
other prisoners,who all look a lot like ogres today. He
goes to Isabelle.
JOE
C’mon, let’s go sit down.
But Isabelle is looking past him. Joe turns to look.
He turns back to Isabelle with a sigh but she shoves the
cake into his hands and heads for Zack’s Table.
Zack is sitting with a cigarette in his mouth. He
doesn’t appear to see Isabelle, but he pulls out his
accordion and starts to play for her.
Joe is annoyed. He pushes another prisoner and attempts
to pick a fight. The prisoner ignores him.
Joe sits down with a sigh to watch Isabelle and Zack.
INT. STORE - DUSK
It’s the end of the day. The store is closed. Someone
is sweeping up a lot of garbage, wrappers and boxes that
HH merchandise came in. The store is looking strangely
bare.
Berthie and Isabelle are busy clearing shelves. It seems
as if the store is preparing for something big.
Workmen enter carrying many large packages.
They set them down and go out for more.
BERTHIE
The new registers are due in soon but
management isn’t saying much about
them.
BELLE
I wonder what the big secret is.
BERTHIE
I don’t know, but it’s something big.
Isn’t this exiting?
BELLE
Yeah...
Isabelle doesn’t seem too excited.
Berthie looks at her sympathetically and turns the
subject to something she thinks will cheer Belle up.
BERTHIE
So...Have you seen Zack lately?
BELLE
Yeah, I went to see him yesterday.
BERTHIE
You went to see him huh? What
happened to Joe?
BELLE
He’s still there.
BERTHIE
I should hope so. What’s going to
happen to him?
BELLE
They’re gonna let him off I think.
BERTHIE
And Zack?
BELLE
I don’t know.
BERTHIE
What do you guys talk about?
BELLE
(shrugs)
We don’t really talk much.
BERTHIE
Huh?
BELLE
He plays for me. He has an accordion
now.
BERTHIE
A what?
BELLE
An accordion. You know, with keys and
bellows?
BERTHIE
Never heard of it.
BELLE
He shows me his new inventions. He’s
quite a genius.
BERTHIE
Why doesn’t he get a real job then,
get himself some money. I mean, if
he’s so smart?
BELLE
He isn’t interested I guess.
BERTHIE
Not interested in making money? How
does he expect to live? I think you
should stick with Joe.
BELLE
Stick with Joe? I’m not going out
with Joe.
BERTHIE
Not yet...
BELLE
I was never going to.
BERTHIE
Oh, come on Belle. There’s something
there. I can see it in your eyes.
BELLE
There is?
BERTHIE
Of course. Besides, if you don’t like
him why do you visit him? I mean
before you met Zack, anyway.
BELLE
I don’t know. He’s my neighbor.
He’s my friend. I like him, I just
you know...
BERTHIE
Oh yes you do...you just don’t know it
yet. You know, Belle, you’re going to
have to find a man sometime.
BELLE
I am?
BERTHIE
Of course!
She checks her watch.
BERTHIE
C’mon now, it’s time to go.
INT. PRISON ROOM - DAY
JOE
What is it with you and that Zack
character anyway? I don’t know what
the hell you see in him. All you ever
do is talk about him. He’s gone! He
left this morning. They threw him
out! No more room in the jail. Said
he’ll just have to commit something
better. He’s out on the street
somewhere.
Isabelle looks as if she’s about to cry. She loves Zack.
Joe sees this.
JOE
Oh Belle. I’m sorry.
He hugs her.
JOE
He’ll be back. Sure he will, you just
wait. Listen, though, I’ll be home
soon. They’re letting me off so I can
pay my taxes. I’ll be home soon.
Don’tchoo worry.
Isabelle stares off into space, her head resting on Joe’s
shoulder.
EXT. CITY STREET - DUSK
Isabelle is walking. All around her is the usual
unnecessary noise pollution and traffic jam. She walks
sadly and without direction.
We see a street corner. Zack, with a great dane, a
monkey and his accordion is performing for a small group
of people on the street corner opposite from where Belle
is walking. She does not notice him.
He plays his accordion, finishes, takes a bow and says...
ZACK
Thank you...thank you.
The traffic becomes overpowering and we follow it to it’s
beginning again. This time the accident is between an
eighteen wheeler with Betsy Lou Pig on the side and a
milktruck bearing an illegible cartoon character.
INT. JOE’S APARTMENT - DAY
The apartment is wall to wall Betsy Lou Pig merchandise.
INT. BELLE’S APARTMENT
The phone rings and Belle picks it up.
BERTHIE
Belle? Don’t bother coming to work.
BELLE
Huh?
BERTHIE
You’ve been fired.
BELLE
What?
BERTHIE
We all have. The new system’s been
installed.
INT. STORE
There is a huge scooper that scoops up the merchandise,
dumps it in a bag, scans the customer and credit his/her
credit card and pats his/her behind as s/he leaves.
INT. HALLWAY APARTMENT BUILDING
JOE
Don’t worry Belle...I’ll take care of
you. Don’t worry.
EXT. CITY STREET - DUSK
Isabelle is wandering along the street aimlessly as if
looking for Zack. She checks garbage cans etc. Zack
wanders by in the foreground as his old bum self.
Isabelle completely doesn’t notice him.
EXT. ALLEY - DAY
We see the back of the Betsy Lou Pig eighteen wheeler. A
large picture of her. The truck pulls away. We see Zack
leaning into the frame watching it go. He turns, faces
the camera and tips his hat.
THE END
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